Published on July 21, 2025 9:25 am
Last Updated on July 21, 2025 9:25 am
An area man died due to drowning in Lake Shelbyville.
Dead is Billy J. Briscoe of Hidalgo.
Moultrie County Coroner Lynn Reed said the incident occurred Saturday morning. The Moultrie County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the Coal Shaft Bridge area of the lake at 11:18am due to reports of an unoccupied boat.
Moultrie County then requested assistance from the Moultrie County Dive Team, the Shelby County Dive Team, the Sullivan Fire Department, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Conservation Police to locate a missing boater.
Briscoe’s body was recovered by divers at 9:16pm Saturday. Reed pronounced Briscoe dead at 9:21pm.
The drowning is being investigated by the Illinois Department of Conservation Police, the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Moultrie County Coroner’s Office.
